Contributor:
Liangyi Chang
Liangyi is concerned about climate change for the future generations. Since 2009, he has participated in UNFCCC’s 15th Conference of the Parties, the Across The Ocean project in the South pacific islands for sea level raising witness, 2041 project to Antarctica for ice melting investigation tour. He thinks everyone has creative infinite possibilities through co-creation learning spaces, so he continuously dares to put himself to new adventures and now is fully engaged with climate movement builder, as 350.org Asia managing director.
“Obama Leaders are amazing human beings; a collection all the possible beliefs and making them into reality, with their value-based leadership.”
Liangyi Chung
Today, Taiwan is one of the first countries to have the same sex marriage in Asia on 24th May, 2019. It was definitely a delightful moment for me after many decades of social movement by dedicated activists and organizations. And more recently, there is possible ground for international same sex marriage as well, meaning that same-sex couples involving a partner from a country in which gay marriage is illegal are allowed to marry in Taiwan or have a marriage conducted in a third country legally recognised.
In the past 2 years, since the landmark ruling in 2019, there has been more LGBTQI exposure to the society where I am seeing my friends, and more gay couples on the street socializing more easily and in friendlier environment. Institutions are allowing LGBTQI equality, for example, last year we had our Taiwan’s military includes same-sex couples in a wedding for first time. According to a public survey, it suggested that more and more people are becoming accepting towards gay marriage, including many who were against the idea beforehand. Therefore, there are more and more solidarity activities and community building events organized to support each other especially during this pandemic situation.
“We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
Albert Einstein
The movement is not yet over, the Taiwanese LGBTQI community is also gearing up for another fight on education, with its aim to eliminate discrimination toward LGBTQI community from the the education system. This is a conservative institution, but I also see many encouraging powerful stories coming through from parents and teachers. When more and more people dare to stand up to fight for equality, it also provides more recognition of where our society is heading towards. The social movement thus become very intersectional; climate justice, gender justice and social activists to have the belief that anything is possible and we are the solution towards it.
I remembered back in 2012, when I joined the international youth climate movement, I was inspired by a senior Filipino activist, who said, “We are here for a reason, a reason to build a possibility at a time. If not us, then who? If not now, then when? If not here then nowhere.”
